This site is a blog about what has been coasting through my consciousness lately. The things I post will be reflections that I see of the world around me. You may not agree with me or like what I say. In either case – you’ll get over it and I can live with it if it makes you unhappy. Please feel free to leave comments if you wish . All postings are: copyright 2014 – 2019

Welcome To Whine Country

IF THERE IS ONE THING THAT REALLY TICKS ME OFF about my fellow human beings it is listening to them whine.

When I hear a grown person whining about anything I just want to walk right up to them and slap them silly. That would give them something to really whine about.

I know I can’t do that, but I can dream can’t I?

It seems that every time I turn on the TV lately, and it’s something other than Dr. Who or Baseball, there is someone whining about this or that. People who have their own TV Shows, flaunting their education or status, are whining about politics, taxes, traffic, the way men behave, the way women behave, and even the weather.

This morning when I turned on the TV the first thing I heard was the Weather Bunny whining about the fact that it was foggy out, as if that was going to help. I don’t know what she had to whine about – she was already at work. She got there safely.

That was not how I needed to start my day. It was a good thing that it was my socks that I was holding in my hand and not my boots.

I suppose that throwing my socks at the TV would be a version of whining. It couldn’t really do any good. I apologized to the Weather Bunny and the TV – and my socks. We all carried on as if nothing had happened.

I’m touchier about the whole subject of whining right now because it seems that half of the population is whining about the recent election. That was inevitable, I suppose.

No matter how things had turned out one side was going to be happy and the other side would launch themselves into a Festival of Whining – along with an occasional tantrum.

Net effect? There wouldn’t be any. Nothing real or even all that tangible except as an auditory stone in my shoe would result.

Why is it like that? If you don’t get your way you whine about it – as if that was going to change things or make you happy again.

The other night there was a story on the news about a demonstration somewhere. There were several thousand people marching in the streets. I never did catch what they were marching about. I can’t imagine that it was all that important.

It was like watching a mass congregation of two year olds. I fully expected them to throw themselves to the ground and kick their feet.

When one person or five thousand behave like that I find that I turn off my ears and ignore whatever they are whining about. If that is how someone wishes to get both my attention and my cooperation they have made a serious mistake.

Whining and throwing a tantrum are really attempts to bully someone into doing what the whiner wants.

“I’m going to make irritating noises and create an embarrassing scene until you give me what I want!”

How boring can one person be? Just imagine millions of them.

Anyone who has ever been around toddlers can recognize that behavior and knows how to deal with it. Of course you can’t sucker punch a two year old, but a grown-up who is getting in your face… well, I’ll just turn my head so I can’t see what happens.

Like Jennie, I can remember by Mother saying the same thing. Even her Mother said that to me a thousand times. I guess I was a Whiner. Funny I can’t remember being one of those. Is talking back to the TV whining when a bad show is on, or when a Media person says something real stupid and unbelievable? You know, reporting or forecasting something they have to know isn’t true, just because it’s written on the teleprompter?

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John Kraft is a writer living and working in Terre Haute, Indiana. He moved to the Midwest after 25 years in California where he worked as an actor, comedian, voice-over actor, as well as a writer. He now enjoys a saner pace of life with his wife, Dawn, who tries to keep him from embarrassing himself in public.
Perhaps I should explain the title of this blog: Down the Hall on Your Left.
My name is John. People are always asking where they can find "The John." My answer is: "Down the Hall on Your Left."